"The Washington who most deserves our attention is the one history has most neglected: the spymaster. Without that Washington, there is no nation to celebrate." Read more from Amy Zegart @amyzegart.bsky.social on the first president's dual role as America's first spymaster. ↘️

The U.S. faces considerable domestic and international challenges, but the notion that the America is no longer capable of playing a global leadership role is not backed up by the facts, writes @philgordondc.bsky.social, the Payne Distinguished Lecturer @stanfordcisac.bsky.social.

The dangers of AI are already here, and discussions of AI regulation need to shift from if regulation is needed to how regulation is going to be codified, says Francis Fukuyama. @frankfukuyama.bsky.social

G7 leaders have backed a joint statement pledging stronger military support for Ukraine and more pressure on Russia, but the real test will be whether the declaration is followed by specific steps, former US Amb. to Ukraine and @theeuropecenter.bsky.social affiliate Steven Pifer tells @kyivpost.com.

Need inspiration for your summer reading list? Browse new and upcoming titles from @mcfaulmike.bsky.social, Rose Gottemoeller, David Holloway, @frankfukuyama.bsky.social, @larrydiamond.bsky.social and more. 📚 BROWSE HERE: ow.ly/Xt1950T9XQs

China's pipeline for cultivating expertise in AI is more robust than previously thought, including a deepening bench of researchers who have never passed through the U.S., write Amy Zegart and @idenarch.bsky.social in a new whitepaper with @hooverinstitution.bsky.social & @stanfordhai.bsky.social.

China is hard at work quadrupling its nuclear arsenal. With the growing risk of a three-way nuclear stand-off, Rose Gottemoeller of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social makes the case for why arms control agreements are more important now than ever.

The JCPOA wasn't perfect, but it was a fine start, writes Or Rabinowitz for @hooverinstitution.bsky.social. She argues that any new agreement with Iran must aim higher.

Can playing games help regulators better manage real-life energy crises? A project from our Program on Energy and Sustainable Development and Stanford Impact Labs aims to find out. Read more about their game-based electricity market trainings ↘️ ow.ly/MWuY50Zfscw

New guidelines developed with input from Douglas Owens, director of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu, provide evidence-based recommendations to help people who are overweight understand the benefits and harms of obesity medication.

New evidence shows that prescribed burns reduces air pollution over time. "Sometimes the benefits take a while. We’re not that good at delayed gratification, but our numbers say in the end, it’s worth it," study lead @marshallburke.bsky.social tells @sfgate.com.

Analysis from the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions indicates that while grant allocation to non-elite Chinese universities is rising, high-value “Key Programs” funding—and therefore power and influence—remains heavily concentrated in around 40 of the country's elite universities.

With new defense technology like drones, growing instability in Russia, and growing European momentum behind Kyiv, momentum on the battlefield has clearly swung to Ukraine, and time is no longer on Putin's side, writes @mcfaulmike.bsky.social. 🇺🇦 READ MORE: ow.ly/Eyrh50ZcbbN

🎓 Congratulations to the 2026 graduating class of the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy! You've studied hard and are now on your way to change the world for the better through new careers, civic engagement, military service, further academic pursuits, and beyond.

Herb Lin, a senior research scholar at @stanfordcisac.bsky.social, has joined the Science and Security Board at @thebulletin.org. The board provides objective external perspectives on issues relating to nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. ow.ly/ihQE50ZaAc2

Thai pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat analyzed the recent electoral defeat of his progressive party, weighed in on Thailand’s regional and geopolitical balancing act, and considered the prospects for the country’s future at a recent visit to @aparc.stanford.edu.

Research from the Deliberative Democracy Lab @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on wearable AI technology indicates that users broadly support having controls over when their wearables passively process environments and actively capture data.

WATCH | @mcfaulmike.bsky.social addresses the gap he sees between the rhetoric and actions on foreign conflicts coming out of Washington and the questions and priorities being put forward by everyday Americans. ow.ly/mT6s50Z7QFp

At this year's Rosenkranz Global Health Policy Symposium hosted by @healthpolicy.stanford.edu, a panel of health experts discussed the seismic shifts that the global health community has undergone in the last year, and how this inflection point could be used to rebuild better institutions.

India is a rising power, but not in the make or model of China, write Dinsha Mistree and @bill-drexel.bsky.social in @thediplomat.com, and mischaracterizing the world's biggest democracy puts Washington at risk for squandering its most important relationship for countering Beijing.

Congratulations to Oren Samet (@osamet.bsky.social) of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on receiving the Outstanding Dissertation Award from @apsa.bsky.social for his research, “Challenging Autocrats Abroad: Opposition Parties on the International Stage.” ow.ly/7hEU50Z6LV4

Can America still lead the world? As a guest on Uncommon Knowledge, FSI and @hooverinstitution.bsky.social Senior Fellow Stephen Kotkin explains why he believes the United States is still the world's dominant power, and what pitfalls the country must avoid if it wants to stay that way.

Washington appears to be stepping back from its role in mediating negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, and that may be exactly what Kyiv needs to finally bring Moscow to the table, writes Steven Pifer of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social.

🗓️ UPCOMING BOOK TALK | Jun 2, 10:30am PT Rose Gottemoeller of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social shares insights from her new book SECURITY THROUGH COOPERATION, which explores the history of space, nuclear weapons, and U.S.-Russia relations after the Cold War. ☑️ Register here: ow.ly/z0ZQ50Z4PIl

Airpower is not an obsolete measure of power yet, but the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in Iran demonstrate that drones and AI are rapidly changing the balance of capabilities and cost analysis of warfighting, writes @frankfukuyama.bsky.social.

How worried should we be about the most recent Ebola outbreak? Michele Barry of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu shares 5 things to know about the virus, how it spreads, and what level of threat it poses. ow.ly/vcGL50Z4t6N

While they may seem like opposites on the surface, @dcsneider.bsky.social says Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and South Korean President Lee's commonalities of pragmatism and popularity could help bring their countries into closer partnership. ow.ly/UwS350Z44bN

🎧 New Episode Alert! On the #WorldClassPodcast, Colin Kahl and a panel of FSI scholars discuss how AI, social media, biotechnology, propaganda, and geopolitics are intersecting in novel ways that are rapidly reshaping our world. ow.ly/Z9lq50Z2CUu

🗓️ CISAC EVENT TOMORROW | May 21, 3:30pm PT Join @stanfordcisac.bsky.social for the Payne Distinguished Lecture with Philip H. Gordon, who will discuss why a liberal, U.S.-led world order can and should be saved. ☑️ Register at the link below ow.ly/3TMP50YZfoU

The next generation of conflicts will be shaped as much by data, supply chains, and autonomous systems as by conventional military power, warned policymakers and leaders at an @aparc.stanford.edu conference on the intersection of tech and alliances in the Asia-Pacific: ow.ly/ycPF50Z00ip

Biotech is transforming everything from drug discovery to biosecurity, and nations are racing to lead. In a recent @fsi.stanford.edu panel, experts including Hoover Science Fellow Drew Endy, broke down why this matters for innovation, health, and security.

As democratic institutions face growing strain worldwide, @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social is partnering with @jodemocracy.bsky.social, one of the world’s leading publications on democratic theory and practice.🧵 cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/news/new-par...

As Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing, @mcfaulmike.bsky.social outlines his plan for how a combination of détente and competition can be used to buy time and help the U.S. get back on stronger footing to push back on China's rise and power. 📄 READ MORE: ow.ly/MooV50YZfJH

🗓️ May 21, 3:30pm PT Join the Center for International Security and Cooperation (@stanfordcisac.bsky.social) next week for the Payne Distinguished Lecture with Philip H. Gordon, who will discuss why a liberal, U.S.-led world order can and should be saved. ☑️ REGISTER: ow.ly/480N50YZm8o

We're off to a great start! 🎉 Give now to support the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Double your impact with a gift today! 🌴=🌴🌴#StanfordDayofGiving #CardinalGives Help support FSI: ow.ly/Kio450YYzaP

"Despite the damage to institutions that has occurred over the past decade, I believe that the checks and balances built into the American system continue to operate, the most important of these checks being elections." - @frankfukuyama.bsky.social

Join @healthpolicy.stanford.edu for the 2026 Rosenkranz Global Health Policy Symposium, featuring keynote speaker Chelsea Clinton in conversation with Condoleezza Rice, about rethinking global health partnerships in a new global era. Registration is required: ow.ly/IK5650YXLA9

Apply by June 8 for the Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Stability and Military Competition Fellowship at @stanfordcisac.bsky.social. Work with Colin Kahl, Rose Gottemoeller, and more scholars on AI functionality in nuclear command and control" ow.ly/V1iB50YWloe

Watch the recording: FSI scholars discuss the promises and perils of the technologies that are rapidly reshaping our world, with @drewendy.bsky.social, Andrew Grotto/ @stanfordcisac.bsky.social, Jeff Hancock/@techimpactpolicy.bsky.social, Jennifer Pan, and Colin Kahl. ▶️ ow.ly/YSbK50YW8xv

Speaking with @nytimes.com, David Relman of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social describes his chilling experience of observing an AI chatbot develop a plan to unleash an effective, deadly, mass biological attack on a large public transit system.

Mark your calendars! #StanfordDayofGiving is May 13–14. Donations up to $5K will be matched. 🌟 Support the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the important work we do, from training aspiring leaders to creating the next generation of policy changemakers. ow.ly/exUb50YTGq5

🚨 New Report! 🚨 Authored by Visiting Professor @flogsell.bsky.social, our groundbreaking new report, Balancing Code and Law: Governance and Policy Challenges of Blockchain, offers in-depth analysis of #blockchain technology's relationship with legal and regulatory frameworks. 🔗 stanford.io/49nuIMV

In a new edition of @merip.bsky.social, @makrevis.bsky.social of @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social takes a deep dive on how Recep Erdoğan's AKP party in Turkey has transformed the country's expanded university system into a terrain of political control. ow.ly/lBz150YS5q5

Short of a full rupture, @dcsneider.bsky.social explores what South Korea can do to hedge its relationship with the United States and create more autonomy from Washington: ow.ly/aqav50YRMlr

Eyck Frymann of @hooverinstitution.bsky.social joins FSI Director Colin Kahl on #WorldClassPodcast to share his plan for how America's military, economy, technological leadership, and diplomacy can be used to prevent a conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. ow.ly/HyWA50YRepb

Overdose deaths are falling, but more still needs to be done to address the addiction crisis, says Keith Humphreys of @healthpolicy.stanford.edu. “As important as overdose prevention is, we should aspire to more than keeping people alive for the next 24 hours,” he tells @kqednews.kqed.org.

Even though China’s cyber-espionage capabilities are estimated to be as sophisticated as the United States, Europe's defenses remain very Russia-focused, and China is seen as an indirect threat, Oriana Skylar Mastro of @stanfordcisac.bsky.social tells @wsj.com.

What does America look like after Donald Trump's second term in office ends? It’s time to get serious about abundance, writes @frankfukuyama.bsky.social in his latest essay in Persuasion.

China has become a powerhouse for drug innovation and global clinical trials. The latest brief from the Center on China’s Economy and Institutions examines how the country orchestrated that rise and what policies are driving the sector's success.

We are pleased to announce that Andrew Grotto has been named Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity Policy at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Grotto is a research scholar at @stanfordcisac.bsky.social. Read his full bio here: nbr.org/people/andre...